Gov. Otter: Illegal Immigration “Tremendous Expense” For Idaho

Idaho Governor C. L. "Butch" Otter (R) is in Utah Friday to meet with other chief executives from neighboring states. It’s the first ever meeting of what’s called the Rocky Mountain Roundtable. They discussed common issues like public lands, water resources, and endangered species.

Governor Otter also touched on illegal immigration. He says state resources are stretched by this population even though Idaho is not commonly considered a border state. "We still have a tremendous expense in our corrections, in our judicial system, in our education system, and in our health and welfare system."

Idaho is among sixteen states that support Arizona’s law on illegal immigration. The constitutionality of that law was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week. The court’s decision will be revealed this summer.